Great Wall of China in Mutianyu, a Great Self-Guided Solo Trip

I thought I could not do it, I thought it was just a dream, I thought it was just in the books and featured in movies. Stunning ancient architectures from the Angkor Wat, to Temple of Jupiter to Great Pyramids and now to Great Wall. Traveling is indeed always a good time, another memorable milestone in my life.how did I go here (mutianyu);On peak season, bus #897 is a special trip from dongzhimen station with a fare of 15 cny. For a winter off-peak season this is not available which I just know on the bulletin posted near the entrance. So upon my arrival in the morning in dongzhimen bus station, I checked the other bus #980 which will dropped me to miyun town for Gubeikou entrance of the Wall. But since I still insist to go to Mutianyu side, I asked local how to go there and write the chinese word of Mutianyu in a piece of paper for easy understanding of taxi driver. here's how the journey goes which started from 1000H to 1900H...ETD hostel from qianmen station to dongzhimen station (subway, 2cny)ETD dongzhimen bus station bound to minyu town (bus #980, 15cny)ETD minyu town bound to huairou town (taxi, 60cny)ETD huairou town bound to mutianyu (taxi, 60cny)Total: 137cny ($23) from 1000H to 1400H travel time

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Bus # 867 is a special line of 867 travel which is available from dongzhimen to mutianyu ONLY on March 15 to November 15 yearly. Departure times from dongzhimen is 0700H-0830H and leaving mutianyu around 1400H-1600H.

Bus #867's drop-off is at huairou main road. No public bus available from minyu to huairou. Distance of minyu to huairou is 20km while huairou to mutianyu is 20km also. My travel time from qianmen subway station to mutianyu wall entrance is 4 hours due to difficulty in communication with locals anad direction. I saw within my guesthouse that agency's offer package tour on great wall at 280cny per pax on roundtrip travel to badaling wall excluding entrance and cable car fees. For mutianyu, of course it will be higher. Badaling has much easier transportation than mutianyu but has very populated by tourist.

bought snacks & brought them (subway meal, 41cny)

ETA mutianyu great wall (cable car roundtrip, 80cny)

photo-ops plus snacks on the wall

ETD mutianyu great wall (cable car)

souvenirs (55cny)

ETD mutianyu great wall bound to huairou town (taxi, 20cny)

ETD huairou town bound to dongzhimen bus station (bus #916, 12cny)

Total: 208 cny from 1400H to 1900H

The driver asked me, in almost action language due he cannot speak any single word of english, that he will wait to bring me back to town at the same fare.

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

It has become a space-based myth. The Great Wall of China, frequently billed as the only man-made object visible from space, IS NOT, at least to the unaided eye in low Earth orbit. It certainly isn't visible from the Moon.

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html

Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the Ming walls measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi). This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

Mutianyu is located in Huairou district of Beijing which was built in unique way, watchtowers and passes were built in steep mountain. This section of Great wall goes along the mountain ridge like a flying dragoon where there is 96% forest coverage on its surroundings. But both Badaling and Mutianyu are thronged with tourists, with Badaling a little more so. Mutianyu is greener, but the section officially open is shorter than at Badaling.